


Cub-Sitting

by The_Lady_Crane



Series: Freaky-Deaky Omegaverse Starring Marth, Meta Knight, and Ike [6]
Category: Super Smash Brothers
Genre: Alpha Ike, Alpha Meta Knight, Alpha/Omega, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Cute Kids, Established Relationship, Fluff, Human Meta Knight, Humor, I Tried, M/M, Male Slash, Mates, Mild Language, Mischief, Mundane crap, Omega Marth, Omega Verse, Parenthood, Polyamory, Post Mpreg, Slice of Life, Twins, Yaoi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-13
Updated: 2018-08-13
Packaged: 2019-06-26 15:42:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,606
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15666234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/The_Lady_Crane/pseuds/The_Lady_Crane
Summary: OMEGAVERSE: Ike watches the cubs while Marth and Meta Knight tend to business.





	Cub-Sitting

**Author's Note:**

> I felt like doing some family fluff in the omegaverse. Enough said.

From the time he was a child, Ike had always believed that nobles lived in perpetual comfort, free from cold and dampness. This mental image of castles as warm, dry, and filled with plush surfaces had contributed to Ike’s disdain for royalty. Castles were not supposed to be drafty. They weren’t supposed to be damp, and their floors were supposed to be carpeted in plush fibers. When Ike had actually begun to spend more time within the expansive walls of Castle Altea, though, he quickly realized that his preconceived ideas were mostly false.

On a cold, wet January day, Ike was contemplating the unfairness of the world. He was lying in Prince Marth’s bed, snuggled under the warm covers, but this was where the comfort ended. Surrounding him was a room that was every bit as cold as his tent in the wilderness would be. The embroidered rugs, while beautiful, did little to insulate bare feet from the cold stone floor. Wind whistled through tiny cracks around the windows, making Ike’s ear twitch as a damp draft blew past. All in all, the castle was no more comfortable than any other house, and its age probably even made it worse. And now, he was trapped in bed because it was too cold to leave. He would have to wait for someone to come and light the fire. He’d thought being mated to a prince would have earned him some luxury. Not that he wanted to live like the spoiled noblemen he had always mocked, but it would be nice to not wake up freezing his balls off.

Life only got more unfair as clanking armor approached the door. Even through the heavy wood, Ike’s sensitive ears recognized the distinctively resolute tread of Meta Knight’s sabatons. The door creaked as it opened. Ike stilled.

“I know you’re awake, Ike.” Meta Knight’s rumbling voice was almost chiding. The fur on Ike’s tail bristled.

“Mmmph…” he mumbled, his face still halfway buried in the pillow. Weak silver sunlight was falling across the deep blue covers, but he wasn’t ready to get up yet.

“It’s already nine o’clock.”

“Mmm.”

Meta Knight waited for a moment. “The prince and I have been up for four hours.”

“Good for you,” Ike said.

“He wants to see you.”

Ike didn’t respond, but his ears flattened against his head. He couldn’t very well disobey the prince. But it was so cold…

Meta Knight gave Ike one more chance. When a minute passed and the blue-haired mercenary remained inert, Meta Knight sighed and walked over to the bed. Leaning down until he was practically breathing into Ike’s ear, he said, “If you don’t get up now, I’ll take this as a sign of submission and do to you what we did to the prince last night.”

Suddenly, it wasn’t so cold, after all. Ike sprang out of bed, the blue fur on his tail standing straight out (much to Meta Knight’s amusement). He never knew when Meta Knight was joking, but he decided not to take any chances this time. “I’m up, I’m up!” He snatched his clothes from the chair where he’d thrown them the previous night. “So, what’s going on today?” he asked as he dressed, his teeth chattering a little from the sudden draft.

“I am going to escort the prince to the border,” Meta Knight said. “He wishes to check on the southeast fortress expansion. In the meantime, he has a job for you.”

Ike’s tail swished as he followed Meta Knight down the hall. He wondered what kind of task he would be given today. As a free agent, he was more or less at liberty to do as he pleased; but he had sworn his loyalty to Marth when they had become mates. He preferred being busy, anyway.

Marth was in his study, sitting at the desk behind a stack of papers that he was quickly sorting into smaller piles. He glanced up when Ike and Meta Knight entered, and greeted them with a smile. “Thank you, Sir Meta Knight,” he said. “Ike, good morning.”

“Morning…” Ike sauntered over to the desk and bent down to wrap his arms around Marth’s shoulders. The omega leaned back into Ike’s touch, nuzzling him a little, but the moment was cut short when Ike felt a tug from below.

He looked down. Two chubby faces looked up. Ike grinned, and reached down to scoop two cubs into his arms – one pink-haired and dark-skinned, one blue-haired and pale. “And how are the troublemakers today?” he asked, as the toddlers hugged him. Greil, the blue-haired one, reared up and tried to bite Ike’s ear.

“Mo’nin, Ikey!” Kirby chirped.

“Daddy, let’s play!” Greil whined, making another attempt on Ike’s ear.

“You had breakfast yet?” Ike asked.

“Yeah,” Greil said, reaching up and grabbing onto the collar of Ike’s shirt. “Plaaaaay!”

“Jeez, OK! But I gotta see what Mom wants!”

“Mom wants you to watch them for today,” Marth said, still organizing paperwork. “Sir Meta Knight and I have something to – well, he probably told you, right?”

“Yeah, the inspection,” Ike said, hefting Greil so he was farther away from his hair, which the child was trying to grasp. “I get babysitting duty, then? I can do that.”

“We should be back by nightfall,” Marth said, reaching up so he could take Greil. Kirby remained passively snuggled against Ike’s chest. Marth bounced Greil a little, making the boy giggle. “Are you going to behave today?” he asked in a light voice.

“Yep!” Greil said.

“I was talking to Daddy,” Marth said in the same bubbly voice, still looking at Greil.

“Funny,” Ike said, yawning and handing Kirby to Marth, as well. “I’m gonna grab something to eat, OK?”

Ike went to eat breakfast, and by the time he returned to the study, Marth and Meta Knight were dressed in their traveling cloaks – Meta Knight’s black, Marth’s blue. Marth was holding the twins, telling them that he and Meta Knight would return soon.

“Have fun with Daddy today, OK?” Marth said. He gave them to Ike, and took up his satchel. Addressing Meta Knight, he said, “The guards are already by the gate. Let’s go.”

“Be careful out there,” Ike said, following them into the hall.

“Bye, Mama! Bye, Papa!” Kirby called, waving energetically. Waving was one of his favorite things to do.

“Bye, Me’Knight!” Greil called. “Bye, Mama!”

Marth waved once more, and Meta Knight looked back as they rounded the corner. Then Ike took both children into their nursery.

“OK! What are we gonna do?” Ike asked, setting the kids down and sitting cross-legged on the floor in front of them. “You get to be with me the whole day.”

Kirby immediately crawled into Ike’s lap again, and curled up contentedly. Meta Knight’s son was the clingiest child Ike had ever met, and was always ready to take a nap. Truth be told, this was a good thing in Ike’s book: His own son was extremely hyperactive. Sure enough, Greil was soon running around Ike’s back so he could grab onto his headband. He managed to use it like a rope to climb up his father’s back before the alpha shook him off.

As Ike juggled holding Kirby and playing with Greil, a maid came in to tend the fire. She returned Ike’s greeting cheerfully. Ike watched her work, musing that she and most of the other servants had warmed up to him a lot. At first, they had been wary of allowing Ike or Meta Knight to remain alone with the pups. After all, it wasn’t normal for an alpha to spend time unsupervised with someone else’s child. Then again, it wasn’t normal for two alphas to share the same mate at the same time.

His musings cost him dearly. Before he knew it, Greil had disappeared. “Hey, Greil!” Ike called, standing up and shifting so Kirby was in the crook of his arm. The maid bustled off, and Ike ran around the room, looking behind the draperies and under the furniture. The crib was empty, the dresser drawers were still closed, and the tapestries were still neat and unclimbed-looking. Obviously, Greil was no longer present.

Cursing under his breath, Ike dashed out of the room and began searching, oblivious to the fact that Greil was clinging to his back. “Greil, this isn’t funny!” he shouted, checking the study. “Shit…”

“Daddy said a bad word!”

Ike turned and saw Greil peering over his shoulder, and his tail bristled. “Dammit, Greil, don’t do that! I thought I’d lost you!” Greil giggled as Ike shifted to pull him around by the back of his shirt. Kirby was somehow still asleep, but woke up when his twin started pulling on his tail. The two tussled in Ike’s arms, as Ike hurried back to the nursery. The kid was a ticking time bomb, and Ike had to find something to amuse him before he pulled another stunt.

This time, Ike closed the heavy wooden door to make sure Greil wouldn’t run out. “OK, who wants to play?” He fake-growled, lowering himself to his hands and knees, and Greil leapt onto him with a delighted squeal. Kirby rolled onto his back, grabbing onto one of the dangling ends of Ike’s headband and chewing on it. They played like this for a while, with Ike pretending to wrestle and letting them win half of the time. Even after Kirby had curled into a ball and fallen asleep, Greil was still gnawing on Ike’s ear as Ike tickled his sides.

Ike was the parent they turned to for playtime like this, but Greil’s inexhaustible energy soon tired him out. He fell onto his back as Greil climbed on top of his chest, still trying to bite him. Grabbing the back of the toddler’s shirt, Ike held him up for a bit. “Come on, kiddo, give me a break,” Ike said, dropping Greil on the floor. He immediately went to his brother and chewed on the end of his tail; Kirby just snored and flopped onto his other side.

“I wanna story,” Greil said, returning to Ike and sitting on his stomach.

“I dunno any stories,” Ike groaned.

“Daddy!” the child whined, gripping Ike’s shirt. “Wanna story!”

“Ugh, fine. What kind of story?”

“Story, story!” Kirby had woken up, and ran over to cuddle up under Ike’s arm. Ike shifted so he could hold him closer, bringing him with him as he sat up. Greil rolled onto his lap.

“Wanna cool story,” Greil said, making a nest out of his father’s crossed legs.

“A cool story? Huh…” Ike thought for a minute. He’d never been the type of child who would sit down long enough for a story, and he didn’t know any fairytales right off the top of his head. “OK… Let’s see… So, once upon a time, there was a… uh… prince.”

“Like Mama?” Kirby asked.

“Yeah, just like Mama. And this prince lived in a castle, like this one. And one day, he went out to fight a dragon that was terrorizing everyone. And that’s what he did.”

Greil and Kirby continued to stare at Ike. “Tell more!” Greil demanded.

“That’s the story. A prince slayed a dragon,” Ike said, a little defensively. “What more do you want from a story?”

“Booo!” Kirby said with a little pout.

“Daddy’s story stinks!” Greil said.

“Crap…” Ike glanced around the room. “Hey, you guys have some books here. How about you go pick one?”

“No, you tell one!” Greil sat up, pulling on Ike’s shirt insistently.

“Ikey story!” Kirby giggled.

“Fine, fine, I’ll think of something.” Marth had expressly forbidden him from telling them stories about his battles, saying they were too young for such things.

Suddenly having an idea, Ike scooped Greil into his other arm and stood up. “I know, let’s go see Robin!”

As a sorcerer, Robin would surely have plenty of stories to tell. Books were his thing, after all. Ike jogged through the corridors, amusing the pups as he bounced them in his arms. His heavy footsteps and their laughter echoed around the castle. Through the foyer, through the great hall, up the stairs, and into the wizard’s tower they went. Ike was slightly out of breath when he finally reached Robin’s sitting room.

Robin was engaged with mixing up a small bowl of sparkling orange powder, and looked up when Ike came banging through the door. The pale blonde omega perked his ears, alarmed by all of Ike’s huffing and puffing. “Where’s the fire?” he asked.

“Kids are bored,” Ike panted. “Need a story.”

“And… you want me to tell them one?” Robin’s eyebrow arched.

“Yeah, that’s about the gist of it,” Ike said, sitting on a puffy purple chair. “You or your sister.”

“Robyn isn’t here,” he said. “And I’m a little busy, so…”

“Aw, come on…” Ike groaned. “Can’t you do me a favor? I’ve been playing with them all morning!”

“Well, they’re your pups,” Robin said, a bit under his breath. He didn’t appreciate being interrupted in the middle of work. “I don’t have time right now, but you might ask Lucina.”

Greil had escaped from his father’s lap, and was looking at a low table in the corner. “Come on,” Ike grabbed him up again, and trudged out of the room, giving Robin a reproachful stare that the sorcerer ignored.

Off he went, into the training room, where he knew Marth’s cousin would be practicing her swordsmanship. The omega princess was twisting and whirling, hacking a wooden dummy to pieces. “Hey, Lucina!” Ike called. The girl turned to face him, her brows raised in surprise.

“Ike,” she greeted. “What’s up?”

“Hey, uh… Do you know any stories?”

Lucina frowned. “What do you mean, stories?”

“Wanna story!” Greil barked.

“Tell us, tell us!” Kirby wiggled excitedly.

“Ah…” Lucina looked nervously between the twins. “I’m not a very good storyteller… Why don’t you ask Robin?”

Ike sighed, but it seemed that his troubles were over for now. The children were trying to escape his arms, and when he set them on the floor, they ran over to the fountain in the corner of the room, apparently forgetting all about the story. Relieved, Ike plopped onto a crate of protective padding. “Never mind,” he said happily.

As the adults fell into a casual conversation, Kirby and Greil were watching ripples on the surface of the shallow water. This was used by warriors to wash off their sweaty hands. Kirby was reaching out to touch the trickling stream when something sparkling caught his eye. “Wha’s that?” he asked, looking at the little red crystal his brother was holding up to the light.

“Got it from the shiny room,” Greil said, referring to Robin’s workroom, where everything seemed to gleam. He had managed to grab it on the way out: a long red prism about the size of his index finger. “It’s really warm!”

“Ooh, I wanna see!” Kirby reached out for it, but Greil held it away from him.

“Mine!”

“Gimme…!”

A brief scuffle occurred, and while fumbling for the crystal, Kirby dropped it into the water.

“What the…?” Lucina jumped when the torches went out all around the room. Several cries of surprise echoed in from the great hall, and Ike stood up.

“Kirby, Greil, come here,” he called, and the boys ran towards him, allowing him to pick them up. “I’ll see if the steward knows what’s going on,” he said to Lucina as he strode out of the room.

Servants and guards were rushing around, apparently trying to find the source of the blackout. Though the servants were lighting the torches, they only burned for a few seconds before being extinguished again. “Wha’s happening?” Kirby asked, clutching onto Ike.

“I dunno,” Ike said. “It’s OK. Roy!” He ran towards the red flash that flitted through the crowd. The young general turned at Ike’s shout, and wagged his fiery tail in greeting.

“Have you seen Robin?” the other alpha asked.

“He was just in his tower,” Ike said.

“He’s not there.” Roy scratched his fluffy hair, looking at one of the dark torches on the wall. “It’s weird, isn’t it? Hope nothing’s happened to him…”

“Do you think Robin’s behind this?”

“It’s magic that keeps the torches lit, and he’s the court mage,” Roy shrugged. “Could you help me find him?”

“Uh, sure, I just gotta…” Ike shifted the children in his arms, and Roy nodded, dashing off on his own.

The twins were not happy about their Daddy having to go away. “You said we’d be together all day!” Greil whined as Ike plunked him onto the floor in the nursery.

“Yeah, but I gotta go for a bit,” Ike said, hastily nuzzling both kids. “I’ll be back as soon as we get the lights back on, OK? Stay near the fireplace. I’ll send someone in to watch you.”

Kirby and Greil were pouting as Ike ran out of the room. “I wanna stay with Ikey…” Kirby said sadly.

“Let’s go!” Greil hopped to his feet and ran for the door.

“We gotta wait here,” Kirby said, following his brother.

“Nuh-uh. Daddy didn’t say we couldn’t come!”

Kirby could find no flaw in this logic. The four-year-old followed his twin’s instructions and climbed onto his shoulders, twisting the doorknob with all of his strength. After much pulling and fumbling, they got the door open, and pushed past it. As they ran down the hallway, a maid screamed their names; this had to have been the person Ike had sent to watch them. They paid her no mind, and ducked out into the darkened thoroughfare as she ran after them.

“Where’d Ike go?” Kirby asked, looking through the many pairs of legs walking past them. Greil grabbed his hand and pulled him along the hall, sniffing the air close to the floor.

“That way,” Greil said, pointing. “Come on!”

In the darkness, they slipped past undetected. They got to the great hall, but were distracted by Robin coming in from another doorway. Halting in his tracks, Greil spun around and led Kirby to the kitchen. He didn’t want to risk the sorcerer chewing him out over the stolen crystal.

The kitchen proved to be an endless garden of temptations. They blinked, distracted from their quest by the smell of food surrounding them. There were no windows in here, and it was almost completely dark except for a few candles that had been set out. The servants had apparently gone to see what the disturbance was about. Kirby and Greil were completely alone; and there was a table full of half-prepared food. The four-year-old pups couldn’t have resisted if they’d wanted to.

Twenty minutes later, full of a pilfered snack, the twins waddled back into the great hall. They could see Robin talking to some guards near the front doors, and Greil squirmed uncomfortably. “We gotta go get that crystal,” he said, hanging his head.

“What crystal?” Kirby wondered.

“I took it from Robin,” Greil said. “I bet he’s lookin’ for it.”

“But it’s in the water…”

“So?” Greil led Kirby back to the training room, both creeping along the walls so they wouldn’t be noticed. Lucina was no longer in here, and when they realized that the coast was clear, they ran to the fountain.

“How’re we gonna get it out?” Kirby asked.

Greil climbed up on the rim of the basin, which was only about knee-high to him. The water was flowing down from a tall spoke in the center, and Greil ducked around it as he reached in. “Grrrr…” He growled in irritation as he rummaged for the crystal, but he couldn’t find it.

“Here, lemme help!” Kirby jumped up alongside Greil. It wasn’t long before they both fell in, Kirby first and Greil because Kirby was grabbing for his ears to pull himself up. They coughed and spluttered, sitting in the basin.

“Dammit, Kirby!” Greil barked.

“Got it!” Kirby said, holding up the little red crystal triumphantly.

“Oh. Great!” Greil’s ears perked up. “Let’s get it back to Robin’s place.”

No sooner had they gotten out of the fountain than the torches all flared to life again. “Light’s back on!” Kirby cheered.

“Uh-oh…” Greil pulled Kirby against the wall, and peered around the corner, into the hall. Robin was still there, looking around in confusion with everyone else. Saying something to the guards, he took off along the opposite hallway.

“OK, let’s go!” Greil and Kirby ran as fast as their little legs would carry them, their wet boots squishing all the while.

“I’m cold,” Kirby whimpered, but Greil kept pulling him behind, clutching the crystal tightly.

“In here!” They went through the tower doors, which were already ajar, and rushed up the stairs. Pushing through to the study they had visited earlier, Greil set the crystal carefully back on the little tray where he’d found it.

“We did it!” Kirby said.

Greil grinned at his twin, turning to go back through the door, but Kirby huddled close to him, almost knocking him over. “I’m cold, Greil!” he whined, shivering.

Greil was cold, too, now that he thought about it. He looked around for a blanket they could use, and his ice-blue eyes fell on the worktable. “Let’s use this,” he said, pulling at the blue tablecloth.

A resounding crash echoed down the tower stairs.

>>><<< 

“Shitshitshitshitshit…” Ike was letting out a steady stream of curses as he ran down the hall. As if he needed any more problems today, he’d been informed by the maid that the twins were missing. He didn’t even feel relieved when the torches suddenly came back on. He asked everyone he saw if they had seen the children, and tried to follow their scent among the confusing miasma of smells.

“Ike!” Robin tried to intercept him in the dining room, but Ike ducked around him.

“No time! Gotta find the kids!”

“Me, too!” Robin raced to keep up with the vanguard. “They took my lighting crystal!”

“Your what?” Ike skidded to a halt, panting a little.

Robin’s golden tail was bristling. “The crystal that controls the lights in the castle. I had it out for an upgrade, and they took it!”

“What makes you think it was them?” Ike asked, indignant.

“Well, I had it until you came in and left.”

There was no argument against that. “Dammit, we have to find them… They gave their maid the slip.”

“Jeez, Ike, can’t you watch a couple of cubs?”

Ignoring this comment, Ike sniffed the air again. “They were near here recently… The kitchen!”

Both went into the kitchen, but there was no sign of Kirby or Greil. As they emerged, though, they were startled when the little miscreants in question appeared around the corner.

“Greil! Kirby!” Ike ran to them, picking them both up. “What the hell were you doing? Why’re you all wet?”

“Ike, Greil did somethin’ bad…” Kirby said. Ike set them both down, noticing that Greil had his hands clamped over his nose and mouth.

“What did you do?” Ike asked.

Greil shook his head, giving Robin a guilty look. “Greil’s sneezing,” Kirby said sadly.

“Sneezing?” Ike grabbed the child’s hands in one of his, pulling them down, but Greil resisted. “Greil, put your hands down. Tell me what happened!”

“Ker-CHOO!” The flames that erupted from this sneeze singed Ike’s hair, and left a burning ember on his headband. Robin reached over and extinguished it with a pinch of his fingers, sighing.

“I’m guessing you’ve been in my study?” he said.

>>><<< 

Robin was able to put everything right in no time. He cleaned up the spilled spark powder, made sure the lighting crystal was back on its tray and set safely above child height, and cured Greil of his fiery expulsions. After making the twins apologize to Robin, and promising the sorcerer that he would never bring them to the tower again, Ike took them to the bath to clean them up.

“I dunno what I’m gonna do with you two…” Ike groaned, slumping against the rim of the tub as the twins played in the soapy water. “Why don’t you act up like this with Marth and Meta Knight?” It wasn’t a question he expected them to answer, and they didn’t, seemingly paying him no heed as they splashed each other.

Once they were clean and dry, Ike dressed them hurriedly in warm clothes – a harsh wind had kicked up from the north, and even he was feeling the chill. “Daddy, I’m cold,” Greil said as Ike picked them up.

“I know,” he said. “Let’s go snuggle in Mom’s bed.”

Neither child was opposed to this idea. They curled up under the blankets with Ike, one on either side of him, acting like little heaters. “Are you mad at Mama?” Kirby asked.

Ike cracked an eye open, looking at the dark-skinned twin. “Why do you think I’m mad at him?”

“You were growling at him last night,” Kirby said, his ocean-blue eyes worried.

“What do you mean?” Ike frowned. “I’m not mad at Mama.”

“But at dinner, you growled. I heard you!” There was a hint of accusation in the child’s voice.

Ike laughed. “Nah, I wasn’t mad. That’s what alphas do when they want to play with their mates.”

“Oh, OK!” Kirby settled back into the crook of Ike’s arm.

“Daddy, when we grow up, are we gonna get two mates?” Greil asked.

“Nah, probably not,” Ike yawned. “It’s not usually like that.”

“How come Mama has two?” Kirby chimed in.

“Because he loves me, and he loves Meta Knight,” Ike said, beginning to drift off.

“It’s ‘cause Mama’s a prince,” Greil said. “He can have two mates if he wants.”

“I guess,” Ike mumbled.

“Can we have mates, too?”

“Sure.” Already he was beginning to slip into a dream. Cold days made him drowsy, and he’d been running after his missing cubs for an hour. He figured he could allow himself a nap.

“Can I make Lucina my mate?” Greil asked, and Ike snored in response.

“I wanna bond with Lucina,” Kirby said.

“I’m older. I get to pick first.” Greil nestled in his father’s arm, his ears slicked back contentedly.

“She likes me better,” Kirby frowned, sitting up so he could look at Greil over Ike’s broad chest.

“You can bond with Robin,” Greil said.

Kirby considered this for a moment. “He’s scary… I like Lucina better!”

“Nope,” Greil said. “Pick someone else.”

“Umm…” Kirby pondered this all-important decision. “What about Roy?”

“He’s an alpha,” Greil said. “You can’t mate with an alpha. You’re an alpha!”

“Papa’s an alpha and he mated with Ike!” Kirby protested.

“They aren’t mates. They’re Mama’s mates.”

“But isn’t that the same?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

Greil couldn’t come up with an answer for this. He chewed on his lip, staring up at the blue velvet canopy. “Daddy and Me’Knight are both alphas,” he said at last, satisfied with this logic.

“Yeah, and they’re mates.”

Annoyed, Greil let out a little growl. “They’re not mates, Kirby! Stop being stupid.”

“Is it ‘cause Papa’s stronger than Ike?” Kirby wondered.

“He is not!” Greil said furiously.

“But Papa’s older. You said older is stronger…”

“Grrr…” Greil hated it when his own words were used against him. As he was only four, this happened quite often. Unable to think of a verbal response, he climbed over Ike and bit Kirby’s ear, making his brother yelp.

Ike was awoken by the wrestling children – or, more specifically, by Kirby’s foot in his face. “Hey, hey!” He sat up, flipping them onto the bed as he did so. “What’s this about?!”

“He said Me’Knight’s stronger than you!” Greil said.

“But he is! You said older is stronger!” Kirby wailed. “You said!”

“Oh, man… Look, Meta Knight is older and stronger than me, but that’s not a big deal.” Ike pulled the twins apart. “I’m still really strong.”

“But you said you were the strongest alpha in the world,” Greil pointed out.

Like his son, Ike did not appreciate having his words used against him. “Uh… Hey, are you guys getting hungry? Let’s go see about lunch.”

>>><<< 

Ike made sure the kids were fed, and then put them down for a proper nap in their own room. Now that he was full, as well, he wasn’t as sleepy. He spent some time training, and then decided to go up to the kids’ room to see if they were awake.

When he came to the door, he heard them talking in excited voices. “You won’t get past me!” Greil was saying. “I’ll protect this whole castle!”

“Oh, no!” Kirby growled in a high-pitched version of a gruff voice. “It’s the legendary Greil! I’m gonna diiiieeeeee!”

“No, Kirby, you gotta fight back a little…”

“I’m not Kirby, I’m Ganidoff!” The butchering of the evil wizard Ganondorf’s name made Ike chuckle softly.

“Yeah, but I’m telling you so you can play right.”

Seizing on a sudden idea, Ike crept down the hall to the master bedroom. He rummaged around in the wardrobe until he found what he’d been looking for – a tattered black cloak that Meta Knight only wore for particularly rugged travelling conditions. He threw it over himself, and pulled up the hood. Then he grabbed a scarf from the closet, wrapping it around his face until just his eyes were visible.

Slowly, he went back to the nursery. Opening the door with a bang, he stepped into the room, drawing himself up to his full height. “You dare speak the name of the great Ganondorf?” he roared.

As expected, the kids screamed, scrambling backward. Before he could pull off the hood, though, Greil charged forward. “It’s him!” he shouted. And without any hesitation, the pup headbutted Ike right in the groin.

In hindsight, Ike could say that he was proud of his son for his bravery. He was certainly brought to tears, though at the moment it wasn’t from fatherly affection. He fell to his knees, and tugged the scarf from his face. “D- dammit…” His voice was far squeakier than he’d ever heard it before.

“Ike?” Kirby scooted over to him, poking his face. “Greil, you saved Ike from Ganidoff!”

“Yeah,” Greil said, looking stunned. Then he frowned. “Is this really Daddy?”

“What if…” Kirby gasped, and as if on cue, both leapt onto Ike. “Let Ike go!”

“It’s me!” Ike stood up, tossing the cloak and the kids off of him. “It’s me, it’s Ike! I was just playing!”

“Oh…” The twins looked down at their feet, their ears pulled back.

“Sorry, Daddy…”

“’S OK,” Ike said shakily. “Sorry for scaring you. But damn, you can headbutt…”

“Mama says I got a hard head from you,” Greil said proudly.

“Yeah… Sure did…” Ike slumped onto the floor, and the pups climbed into his lap. “Let’s find something quiet to play, alright?”

“No, I’m tired,” Kirby said, leaning against Ike’s chest.

“Tell us a story, Daddy!”

Ike just groaned.

>>><<< 

It was well past midnight when Marth and Meta Knight returned. They pulled off their cloaks in the entryway, shaking snow off of them and allowing a servant to take them for cleaning. “Let’s drop this off,” Marth said, hefting his heavy leather satchel. “Then we’ll look in on the kids.”

“As you wish, Your Highness.” Meta Knight followed Marth to the study, and stood by while Marth put his things away. They checked the nursery, and found Ike on the floor with Kirby and Greil. All three were sound asleep. Ike was spread-eagle near the fireplace, his snores loud enough to wake the dead. Kirby was curled up on his chest, and Greil had fallen asleep in the same position as his father, his head cushioned on Ike’s forearm.

Marth smiled, letting out a soft laugh. Even Meta Knight had to chuckle quietly. “Ike,” Marth knelt next to the vanguard as Meta Knight picked up Greil and then Kirby, balancing a child against each shoulder. Ike gave a little grunt, but didn’t wake. “Ike,” Marth shook him by the shoulder, and ice-blue eyes fluttered open.

“Oh. Hey, Marth,” Ike sat up groggily. “When’d you get back?”

“Just now,” Marth said. “Were they any trouble today?”

Ike hesitated for a moment. “Not much,” he said. “Hey, Meta Knight.”

“Ike,” Meta Knight nodded as he tucked the blanket around the twins, who were now snuggled up to each other in their bed.

Marth took a moment to nuzzle each child, kissing them on their foreheads. “You even gave them a bath?” Marth said, standing up and leading the way out of the nursery.

“Yeah, it wasn’t bad at all,” Ike said, yawning and cracking his jaw.

“Last time, they turned the bathroom into a skating rink,” Meta Knight said. “I’m impressed that you managed to get them clean.”

“I can at least do that,” Ike grumbled, though he didn’t mention that they’d already been tired out from running all over the castle. “How was your trip?”

“It went well,” Marth said, opening the door to their bedroom and dropping onto the bed to pull off his boots. “I’m pleased with their progress.”

“Good,” Ike said, sitting next to Marth. “God, I’m tired…”

“They kept you running around, hm?” Marth laughed.

“You know how they are.”

The three changed into sleeping clothes, and got into bed, Marth nestling between his mates. “Ike,” he said, “I noticed you were limping… Are you alright?”

Ike didn’t say anything, pretending to have fallen asleep already. There was no need to invite them to add insult to injury.


End file.
